It’s a hospital designed to feel like home – safe, familiar, comfortable & warm. The New Oakville Hospital offers a healing environment where patients and families play an active role in healthcare and treatment. It is about so much more than a physical structure, but this new state-of-the-art hospital offers a solid starting point.

Having the opportunity to build from the ground up allows us to have the best of all things.” Bill Bailey, VP Redevelopment, Halton Healthcare Services

When building this place, the VP Redevelopment says every effort was made to deinstitutionalize the environment and make the patient feel comfortable and in control.

This is an exciting opportunity for our region to build on our strengths in healthcare, improve quality of care for our patients and their families, give staff the tools and environments they need to fulfill our mission of providing outstanding care, and enhance the experience for students who are learning in our facilities.

This is a responsibility that the Steering Committee overseeing the project does not take lightly. The Committee has put a solid process into place and this will result in the best possible site selection for a hospital that will serve this region for generations to come.

It is interesting to learn about the priorities of other new hospitals in the province. Whereas Oakville prioritizes patient and family-centred care, the new Humber River Hospital in Toronto has ambitious environmental goals. What are the major priorities for our new hospital?

The first way to achieve patient and family-centred care is to ensure the hospital is located close to where the greatest number of users live – in the urban core. It’s not just good for inpatients, who can expect their family and friends to visit them more often and more easily, but also the exponentially greater number of day patients who visit the hospital for procedures. As we continue to see greater numbers of day surgeries rather than longer term admissions, this is more important than ever.

Our ageing society unfortunately also means that our hospital will play a greater role in the final stages of life for our senior citizens. By integrating our new hospital into the community, our loved ones won’t feel isolated as they face their final weeks and months.